The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edmondo Cirielli, travelled to Tajikistan in the wake of the new impetus given to bilateral relations between the two countries following Tajik President Rahmon’s visit to Rome in 2024 and his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Meloni on the sidelines of the ‘1+5’ Summit in Astana last year.
The visit provided an important opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions with the Tajik authorities on the key issues on the bilateral and international agenda, with a particular focus on development cooperation – an area in which Tajikistan is a priority country for Italy, now covered by the new Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) office in Yerevan – as well as on Italy’s involvement in the development of key infrastructure for the entire region, such as the Rogun Dam, and on issues of particular relevance given the Central Asian country’s strategic position, such as connectivity, water resources and the regional security framework.
During the visit, the Deputy Minister met with the Tajikistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Muhriddin, his counterpart Hamralizoda, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Usmonzaoda and First Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan Yusufi. The programme concluded with a focus on economic and commercial issues, which were the subject of the meeting with the Tajikistan’s Minister of Industry, Sherali Kabir, and the discussion with the Italian business community, which has a long-standing and significant presence in the country.
